On this page
How to identify it
- Adult females are 3/32 to 3/16 inch long, wingless, with a flat pinkish body under white wax and 17 pairs of waxy filaments around the edge, the rear pair the longest.[1][2]
- Egg masses are dense, cottony white tufts holding tiny bright orange eggs, tucked on twigs, pruning cuts, bark crevices and the calyx ends of fruit.[1]
- Crawlers look like small females with less wax and no long filaments; males are tiny, gnat-like and rarely seen.[1]
Where it lives
Native to China and Japan, it now occurs through most of the world on pome fruits and is the most common mealybug pest in eastern North America, including Connecticut orchards.[1][2]
Biology and life cycle
It overwinters as eggs, which hatch in late May or early June; nymphs mature in 4 to 6 weeks and the females lay a summer batch of eggs.[2][1]
The summer generation matures in September or October and lays the eggs that will hatch the next spring, in bark crevices.[2][1]
Damage and signs
Health risk
It feeds only on plants; NC State and the Connecticut station mention no risk to people.[1][2]
Control
Prevention
Comstock mealybugs usually aren't abundant enough to need control; check pruning cuts, bark crevices and fruit calyx ends for cottony egg masses.[2][1]
Common questions
- What are the cottony white tufts in the bark crevices of my apple tree?
- They may be Comstock mealybug egg masses, which hold tiny orange eggs under white wax.[1]
- Why is my catalpa or mulberry sticky and black?
- Comstock mealybugs feed on catalpa and mulberry, and their honeydew grows black sooty mold.[1]
Sources
- NC State Extension, “Comstock Mealybug.” content.ces.ncsu.edu/comstock-mealybug-1 (accessed 2026-10-19)
- Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, “Plant Pest Handbook: Apple (Malus).” portal.ct.gov/caes/plant-pest-handbook/ppha/apple-malus (accessed 2026-10-19)
- iNaturalist, “Pseudococcus comstocki taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/686104 (accessed 2026-10-06)